LEXINGTON, Ky. — The top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs aren’t allowing many points right now, a daunting obstacle for the Kentucky Wildcats as they seek ways to score some.
Those opposite trends don’t appear likely to change in Saturday night’s meeting of these two Southeastern Conference programs, but Georgia coach Kirby Smart believes the Wildcats still pose a threat.
“They are just as dangerous whether they won or lost that game, in my opinion,” Smart said of Kentucky’s 31-6 loss to South Carolina to open SEC play last week. “I know the football players they’ve got. I know how physical they are. I know how they’re coached. And we’ve got to get ready for a really tough opponent.”
The Bulldogs (2-0) have fulfilled the preseason hype as SEC favorites and enter league play having outscored Atlantic Coast Conference program Clemson, which was ranked 14th at the time, and Football Championship Subdivision member Tennessee Tech a combined 82-6, allowing each only a field goal.
Last week’s 48-3 shellacking of the Golden Eagles was a breather on many levels, with Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck tossing five touchdowns to five players in just more than one half of action. The Bulldogs outgained Tennessee Tech 498-134 in a game shortened to 10 minutes in the fourth quarter.
Georgia ranks fifth among Football Bowl Subdivision teams this season in total defense (161 yards per game) and 33rd in offense (472.5). The Bulldogs are seeking their 15th consecutive series win against Kentucky and enter as 24 1/2-point favorites, according to BetMGM College Sports Odds.
Georgia is one of six teams not to have allowed a touchdown and is tied for fourth nationally in scoring defense. The Bulldogs have not allowed any first-half points through two games, and the second field goal came on the game’s final play.
Kentucky (1-1) aims to rebound from one of its flattest overall performances under coach Mark Stoops. The Wildcats managed just 183 yards and two field goals in the loss to South Carolina, failing to score a touchdown for the first time since losing 21-0 to Iowa in the 2022 Music City Bowl.
Stoops lamented his team’s tepid response against the Gamecocks but owned up to the loss. He hopes players take responsibility for their own shortcomings and rise to the challenge against the Bulldogs.
“Bottom line, we’ve got to get better, and we have a great opportunity to do that this week against one of the very best teams in the country,” said Stoops, who in his 12th season at Kentucky is the SEC’s longest-tenured active coach. “So we’ll be up for that challenge. I do expect our team to respond.”
Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff and senior outside linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson will face their former teammates after transferring from Georgia last season. Dumas-Johnson, an All-America second-team selection in 2022, made 126 tackles with 17 for loss and 9.5 sacks in 38 contests with 24 starts for the Bulldogs. Vandagriff, who will make his third collegiate start, backed up Stetson Bennett through two national championship runs at Georgia and was behind Beck last season as the Bulldogs finished as SEC runners-up to Alabama, missing out on the College Football Playoff afterward.
Georgia fans found out a little more about one of their team’s transfers last week. Trevor Etienne, who was suspended for the season-opening win over Clemson after an offseason arrest, provided a spark to the running game in his Bulldogs debut. The former Florida Gators back rushed for 78 yards on just five carries against Tennessee Tech, including a 45-yard scamper. Nate Frazier and Branson Robinson also chipped in as the Bulldogs averaged 6.9 yards per carry.
“I think we have the best running back room in the country,” offensive tackle Xavier Truss said. “As long as we do our job up front, we’ll get to showcase those guys all season.”
Meanwhile, Kentucky’s offensive line seeks major improvement after South Carolina stuffed many plays before they could develop. The Wildcats yielded five sacks for 41 yards, lost 60 yards on 11 tackles and generated just 44 yards through the air — with some of those struggles occurring before left guard Jager Burton and Gerald Mincey left with injuries. Mincey was listed as probable and Burton as doubtful on the SEC availability report at midweek.
On top of that, committing 11 penalties for 63 yards was bad for Kentucky. Worse was the Wildcats’ manner in doing so: two holding calls among three consecutive flags (one offsetting) during a third-quarter possession. That sequence followed a costly fourth-down offsides penalty that gave the Gamecocks a first down and set up a touchdown that made it 17-6.